Our Fitness Blog

How to Decipher Your Body's Signals

Many of us believe that to get the results that we want fast, we have to feel some pain and then push ourselves past that level of pain. However, exercise can be uncomfortable at times. We all know that it is a lot of hard work, and we have to keep working a little bit harder and a little bit longer to achieve the best results. However, it should never be painful. So, how do you know when you have surpassed the discomfort and are in true pain? As most people say, you have to listen to your body, but this can be hard for a lot of us, especially for those new to fitness or ones trying a new exercise routine. So, here we have a list of common injuries that may occur when you push yourself too hard, too fast, and the signals your body may be sending you to prevent them.

Over training. This happens when you go into your workout like you could conquer the world. You think you not need breaks, and you have to be in the gym everyday to feel the burn. This kind of thinking will only wreck your body and put an abrupt end to your fitness routine. You need to allow yourself some down time to allow your body to adjust to your routine and repair itself after all that hard work. Your body will send you signals that you are working too hard. You just have to know what to look for. If you have experienced continuous amounts of fatigue, insomnia, soreness that just won't go away or a cold that you can not get over, then it is probably time for you to take a break from your routine. You should get some down time with plenty of sleep and nutritious meals to allow your body the chance to rest and repair itself.

Working out with an injury. You have experienced an injury, but you do not want to put an end to your fitness routine. So, you think that the best option for you is to push through the pain and continue as normal. However, you have to realize your body is not ‘normal’ during an injury. Your body is sending you signals that you can not exercise as you have before. If you notice a certain area of your body having a constant and persistent type of pain or continuous dull aches and a smaller range of mobility, then you are on your way to doing some serious damage. So, stop eating ibuprofen like candy or wrapping whichever area of your body hurts and take a break. It would also be wise to visit your doctor if the pain persists and to help speed up your recovery time.

Not getting enough sleep. Your body has to repair itself after a grueling workout, and sleep gives your body the chance to relax and repair itself. Therefore, we need to ensure that we are getting enough sleep to allow our bodies the required downtime. The worst part is that our lack of sleep can affect more than just our fitness routines such as our attitudes, our eating habits and increasing the levels of certain stress hormones. Sleepless nights can wreck your entire day, so you should be aware of the warning signals your body will send you. You may notice your energy levels crashing throughout the day, unusual hunger, an increased number of mood swings, a lack in motor functions and problems concentrating if you are sleep deprived. You will also have problems staying alert and awake even after ingesting caffeine and other energy drinks. You may need to start scheduling a time to go to bed or visit a sleep specialist if your sleep problem persists.

It may sound so easy to listen to our bodies to avoid fitness injuries, but a lot of us may know the saying but not know the signals to look for. It can be difficult trying to decipher all the pain signals from our regular everyday discomfort. However, with a few of the descriptions above, you may be well on your way to understanding your body's warning signals.